A Dragon's Curse and Dreams of Love
by Yami Half-Demon
Summary: A parody to Beauty and the Beast Seto and Joey are having strange dreams together but think nothing of it... until Joey notices strange things happening to Seto that these dreams might be more than just dreams...
1. Prologue

**Okay, for those of you who didn't read my profile, I said that if I read a couple more stories with other pairings, like SetoXJoey, that I might get some inspiration. Well, guess what? I did:: grins:: This time, I'll be picking on Seto and Joey!**

**Seto: … you'll be what?**

**Joey: Aww, come on! Can't you just pick on Yami and Yugi like you usually do?**

**Nope:: grins:: It's your turn to be the victims of my romance stories. I've already written two stories and two poems on those two. They deserve a break for a while; plus they're still getting tortured in my other story that I haven't finished yet. (By the way, I will update soon, so don't kill me yet!) Plus, every time they come over, they end up missing out on part of the chapter because they're too busy doing you-know-what in the closet or spare bedroom. They still owe me a new set of sheets…**

**Seto:: sweatdrops:: So… how will you be torturing my pup and me today? It better not consist of my pup dieing…: death glare:**

**Joey: or vise versa :glare:**

**Oh, no! I'd never do that to one of my favorite couples. Besides, I'm no good when it comes to writing angst or tragic stories, so don't expect that from me! I'm more of a fantasy/supernatural/humor/romance person:: grins:: But, just so you get an idea of what I'm going to put you through… have you ever heard of the movie "Beauty and the Beast"? **

**Joey and Seto: Yes… why…?**

**Because I'm basing my story on that. I bet you can guess who's who:: excited grin::**

**Joey and Seto: … **

**Anyway, it won't be exactly the same as the original story, but it will have some slight twists to it. **

**Joey: Like what?**

**: whispers something in Joey's ear:**

**Joey:: shocked with sweatdrops:: Oh, great…**

**Seto: What did you say?**

**You'll see, but now, on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh. If I did, I'd get rid of Tea and make the guys get together! But I don't, so I can't…TT** **I don't own "Beauty and The Beast", either…**

* * *

**A Dragon's Curse and Dreams of Love**

**Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a magnificent kingdom. The townspeople were happy, and the land was prosperous. But, there was a prince, who wasn't the kindest of royalty. He was described as cold-hearted and selfish. Sometimes, the townspeople wondered how his servants put up with the ice prince, but they knew it wasn't any of their business. But one day, something happened that would change the life of the prince forever. **

**One night, a terrible storm hit. The townspeople barely made it to their homes before they got drenched in water. Most of the homes of the peasants weren't very well built, so most of them had a leak or two in their roofs. One particular home actually fell apart. It was the home of an old woman. She had moved in recently to a broken down home since she had no husband or son to build her one. So when the rain broke her roof in, she decided to ask the prince for shelter from the storm. She walked towards the castle and knocked on the door. It was late at night, so everyone was asleep, except the prince himself. He was always working and usually stayed awake through the night. The woman was about to knock again when the door swung open, revealing the coldest blue eyes anyone has ever seen. Chestnut hair framed those eyes and handsome face. He was adorned in blue silk pajamas and slippers. The old woman had to strain her neck just to see the prince's face, seeing as he was about six feet tall. **

"**What do you want?"**

"**E-excuse me, your highness, but I was wondering if you could allow me to stay in your castle for the night. You see, my home has been flooded and I have no where else to go…"**

"**So you think I will let some old hag spend the night in my home? I don't think so. Go find someone else to bother."**

"**Please sir, I don't have any where to go. If you let me stay, I'll give you this rare white rose in exchange."**

**The rose was the most beautiful anyone had ever seen. The petals were soft to the touch and if you looked close enough, they held an eerie glow to them.**

"**What would I want with a stupid plant? Go away!"**

**::sigh:: "Just as I feared. The townspeople were right; you're nothing but a cold-hearted prince. I shall have to punish you for that."**

"**What are you talking…?"**

**But as he was about to finish, the old woman was surrounded by a bright light. When it faded, instead of the old woman, a beautiful young woman stood in front of the ice prince. She was a few inches shorter than him, with pale skin and white, waist length hair. She wore a long blue and white silk dress with a jeweled sash tied to her waist. In her hand, she carried a long blue staff with a white dragon wrapping around it. At the top of the staff, the white dragon was protectively holding a dark blue sphere, which had an eerie glow to it. **

"**Prince, you have failed my test."**

"**What test?!" he said in extreme shock at the beautiful woman**

"**My test of kindness. I knew that if I had come in my true form, you would have automatically said yes, and that isn't showing true kindness; so, I decided to disguise myself and live among the townspeople to learn of their so-called prince. Asking you to let me into your home for the night in exchange for a simple rose was my ultimate test to see if what they said was true. Apparently, they were right. You do not know the true meaning of kindness, and I will have to punish you so you can learn the lesson yourself."**

"**What are you going to do?" he asked with worry**

"**I will transform you into a dragon, and you shall remain this way until you learn to be kind. Also, someone must fall in love with you and accept you for who you are and what you have become. Be warned though, if you don't learn to be kind or fall in love before the last petal on this rose falls, you shall remain a dragon forever. Also, I shall place a curse on your castle, turning your servants into different monsters as well. The only way they can be changed back is if you break your spell first."**

**And then, she waved her staff over her head, and sparks of blue energy flew out and over the castle. Once the blue energy died down, she then pointed her staff at the prince. The same blue energy flew out and swirled around him. It entered his body and he was struck with extreme pain. The pain brought him to his knees and he doubled over as he felt two lumps on his back growing and widening until they burst out into large blue wings. His hands started burning, and as he looked down, he saw that they were turning blue and shifting into what appeared to be dragon claws. He tried to stand but fell as his legs started changing to the shape of dog's legs, causing his pants to tear. His slippers came off as the points of his feet turned into claws. His pants tore even more as a tail poked out, growing longer and then landing by his feet. His ears also grew pointed, and horns grew out of his head. Scales grew over and around the new appendages. He grew fangs and the pupils of his cold blue eyes became slits. The transformation completed when the dragon prince gave out a painfully loud roar... **

**...and that's when Seto Kaiba woke up with a scream…**

* * *

**Well… what do you think of the prologue?**

**Joey:: cuddling Seto protectively: How could you put him through so much pain? It's only the prologue! **

**Joey, it was just a dream. It was all in his mind…sort of…**

**Seto: What do you mean "sort of"? **

**You'll see, you're going to wake up in quite a shock, trust me. **

**Seto: that's what worries me…**

**Don't worry; it won't be anything too bad. **

**Seto: Sure it won't…**

**Please review if you want me to continue ::grins::**


	2. Dreams and Changes

Yeah, I know… I haven't written in a while, but you try to come up with something that won't stink and bring in reviewers. Not so easy, is it?!

Seto: Calm down computer dork

Hey! Well, you have a point there…

Seto::smirks::

Joey: Ah, come on, Set, don't act like some big shot just because you outsmarted her this one time.

Seto: I could outsmart her about a dozen times if I wanted to.

Joey: Yeah, but don't forget, she's the author here and she has the power to do what she wants to us. We have no control over it.

He's got you there Seto; and if you start on one of your "I'm better than you in so many ways" rants, I'll turn you into a girl.

Seto::looking slightly shocked:: you wouldn't?

Try me…::smirking::

Seto: …Alright, I'll shut up

Thanks for reminding him, Joey

Joey::Grinning:: No problem!

Alright, enough chit chat, time for the next chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh, so no sueing!

* * *

_**Flashback…**_

**_And then, she waved her staff over her head, and sparks of blue energy flew out and over the castle. Once the blue energy died down, she then pointed her staff at the prince. The same blue energy flew out and swirled around him. It entered his body and he was struck with extreme pain. The pain brought him to his knees and he doubled over as he felt two lumps on his back growing and widening until they burst out into large blue wings. His hands started burning, and as he looked down, he saw that they were turning blue and shifting into what appeared to be dragon claws. He tried to stand but fell as his legs started changing to the shape of dog's legs, causing his pants to tear. His slippers came off as the points of his feet turned into claws. His pants tore even more as a tail poked out, growing longer and then landing by his feet. His ears also grew pointed, and horns grew out of his head. Scales grew over and around the new appendages. He grew fangs and the pupils of his cold blue eyes became slits. The transformation completed when the dragon prince gave out a painfully loud roar._**

_**That's when Seto Kaiba woke up with a scream…**_

* * *

**A Dragon's Curse and Dreams of Love**

**Dreams and Changes **

* * *

**Seto sat up in a cold sweat. He was panting and recalling the horrific and yet realistic nightmare. **

'**What was that all about? How'd that idea get in my head?' he wondered as he climbed out of bed. Then he remembered the events that took place earlier…**

_**"Come on, Seto! You promised you'd watch this with me! Please, please, please, plea-**_

"_**Alright Mokuba! All right! I'll make the popcorn and you put in the movie." Seto said as he headed for the kitchen. Once the popcorn was done he walked back to the living room and handed the bowl over to Mokuba, who chose to watch "Beauty and the Beast" after hearing from Yugi that it was a good movie. He and the gang had recently bought the movie and saw it during Yugi's sleepover last weekend. As soon as he got home, he begged Seto to watch it with him. Now normally, Seto could resist his brother's attempts to persuade him into doing anything, but the one thing that no older sibling can resist just so happened to be the only tactic his brother used this time: the fearful and dreaded Chibi eyes. So naturally, even with his strong willpower, he caved in and agreed to watch the movie, which wasn't bad after all. It actually made a striking comparison to his life. Like the beast, his cold attitude made everyone stay away from him, but made him feel very lonely and ashamed. The female character, Belle, reminded him of the only person he secretly loved, Joey. It seems Joey was the only one who was similar to him and probably understood him the most; but, afraid of rejection, he sticks to taunting him instead, just to be close to him. Seto was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a light snoring and looked down to find his brother had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie just as the beast had changed back to his human form and was reunited with Belle and lived happily ever after. Seto turned everything off and carried Mokuba to bed, then got ready for bed himself. As he lay drifting off into the sweet land of dreams, he kept thinking how nice it would be to fall in love like that. That would give him the proof that Joey would love him no matter what form he was in…**_

"…**Yeah right. As if that would ever happen. All that 'happily ever after' crap is just in fairy tales. That would never happen in real life." He said as he washed his face. He had a bad taste in his mouth and decided to brush his teeth again. He was about to put the brush to his teeth when he noticed something: his canines were pointed! At first he thought 'my eyes are playing tricks on me. It's late at night and I'm probably still half-asleep.' But when he touched one of them with his finger, he realized it couldn't have been his imagination if the tip of his finger was bleeding. Now, a normal person would start screaming their head off wondering how they grew fangs in the first place let alone in a matter of hours. But, as we all know, Seto Kaiba isn't a normal person so, he calmly contemplated how he grew fangs, which he thought was illogical in the first place; but that was beyond the point. Point was, they were there and after being dragged all over the place on these adventures where "magic" was involved more than half the time, he had a feeling this was the beginning of another adventure, one that he might have to go through alone. He contemplated this as he drifted off again, not aware of a slim figure outside his window holding a blue stoned staff, smiling as she looked upon her soon to be new born dragon and faded away… **

* * *

well… how was that?

Joey: It sounds cool but, when do I come in?

Well, you were talked about in this, does that count?

Joey: I guess, but when do I come in physically?

Oh! Next chapter. Next time it might be just about you

Joey: Awesome!!

Seto: Well, it's only fair. These two chapters are all about me… it's good to get out of the spotlight for once

Wow, did those words just come out of your mouth?

Seto: Can it!

Alright people, you know what to do if you want this continued!


	3. Joey

Sorry I couldn't update as frequently as I wanted to … I had summer school and then I was completely swamped with school work that I rarely got to get on the computer. Anyway, enough about that… now it's Joey's turn to be in the spot light

Joey:: excited grin: alright:victory dance::

Seto:: sarcastically: excited are we?

Joey: Yup: still dancing: so, what am I going to do in this chapter?

Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough :grins:

Now, most of this chapter is a dream and music will be in there as well, so just a heads up:

'_lyrics'-song lyrics_

Characters in the dream:

**Belle**-Joey (duh!) (Joey: Hey! Why do I gotta be the girl? Because the title is "Beauty and the Beast" you're beauty and Seto's the Beast. Deal with it!)

**Gaston**- Duke (Joey: Dice boy?! Why him?! Because he's perfect for the part, wouldn't you agree Seto? Seto: Yeah, he does fit the part pretty well…)

**Lefou**- Tristan (Joey: HAHAHAHA Tristan's dice boy's side-kick! HAHAHA)

**The Three Fan girls**-Duke's cheerleaders

I think that's it so, on with the story. Oh! I almost forgot, when the townspeople say 'Belle' or 'she/her', pretend they're saying 'Joey' or 'him/he' alright?

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh!!!! Get it! Good!

"Ah! What a day! I just want to go to bed…" Joey said as he took off his jacket and pants to leave his undershirt and some boxers. He got ready for bed and flopped onto the mattress. He had been helping Yugi and Yami do inventory at the shop and he was sore everywhere from carrying very heavy boxes off the top shelves. He turned on his stereo and popped in a cd. It started playing the beginning song from "Beauty and the Beast." Joey had just finished watching the movie with Yugi and the others last weekend, but he couldn't get the movie or the songs out of his head. He was even singing them as he carried the boxes up and down the stairs. He noticed some similarities as he watched the movie. He noticed the Beast was a lot like Seto Kaiba, his rival but also his secret crush. He noticed how both the Beast and Seto were very cold and mean at first, but once you got to know the Beast, he became very kind, thanks to Belle. Joey wondered if that would work on Seto. He really didn't want to fight with him, but if that was the only way to be close to him, then so be it. As he started drifting into the world of slumber, he kept thinking how nice it would be to fall in love the way Belle and the Beast did. That would prove that he and Seto would love each other no matter what.

"That'd be soo nice…." He was then in a deep sleep, slightly listening to the music….

**Dream Sequence…**

"Hey… where am I?" Joey asked as he was standing on a bridge connecting a small cottage to a town.

"Wait a minute, I remember this place. This is the beginning scene from the movie. This is where Belle goes into town to return the book and this big musical starts. Hang on…." He looked down and saw that he wasn't in his shirt and boxers anymore, but in a white shirt, light blue pants, and black shoes. He was also carrying a basket with a book inside it.

"I look like Belle. I wonder—"

But before he could continue, music started playing and some strange feeling took over him as he began walking and started singing:

_Belle: _

_Little town, it's a quiet village_

_Every day like the one before_

_Little town full of little people_

_Waking up to say..._

_Townsfolk:_

_Bonjour_

_Bonjour_

_Bonjour_

_Bonjour_

_Bonjour_

_Belle:_

_There goes the baker with his tray, like always_

_The same old bread and rolls to sell_

_Every morning just the same_

_Since the morning that we came_

_To this poor provincial town_

_Baker:_

_Good morning, Belle_

_Belle:_

_Good morning monsieur_

_Baker:_

_Where are you off to?_

_Belle:_

_The bookshop, I just finished the most wonderful story_

_About a beanstalk, and an ogre, and a---_

_Baker: That's nice. MARIE the baguettes, hurry up_

'I must be dreaming. Ah, well, might as well go along with it. I've seen the movie. This won't be so bad." Joey thought and continued to let whatever was forcing him to walk and sing. He just listened to the townspeople's part as he walked to the bookstore.

_Townsfolk:_

_Look, there she goes_

_The girl is strange, no question_

_Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?_

_Man: Never part of any crowd_

_Woman: Cause her head's up on some cloud_

_No denying she's a funny girl, that Belle_

_Man 1: Bonjour_

_Woman 1: Good day!_

_Man 1: How is your family?_

_Woman 2: Bonjour_

_Man 2: Good day_

_Woman 2: How is your wife?_

_Woman 3: I need...six eggs_

_Man 3: That's too expensive!_

_Belle: There must be more than this provincial life!_

Joey walked in to the bookstore.

_Man: Ah, Belle_

_Belle: Good morning. I've come to return the book I borrowed _

Joey gives him the book

_Man: chuckles Finished already?_

_Belle: Oh I couldn't put it down. Have ya got anythin' new?_

Joey "says" as he climbs the ladder to reach the top shelf.

_Man: (chuckle) Not since yesterday._

_Belle: That's alright. I'll borrowww, this one_

He grabs a blue book

_Man: That one? But you've read it twice!_

_Belle: Well it's my favourite: far off places,_

_daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise!_

_Man: If you like it all that much, it's yours!_

_Belle: But sir?!?_

_Man: I insist!_

_Belle: Well thank you, thank you very much!_

Joey exits the bookstore and continues walking, reading the book in the process.

_Townsfolk:_

_Look, there she goes, that girl is so peculiar_

_I wonder if she's feeling well_

_Girls: With a dreamy, far-off look_

_Men: And her nose stuck in a book_

_Townsfolk: What a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle_

Joey sits next to a fountain reading the book and showing it to a group of sheep.

_Belle:_

_Ohhhhhh...isn't this amazing?_

_It's my favorite part because...you'll see_

_Here's where she meets Prince Charming _(the sheep chews a corner of the page off.)

_But she won't discover that it's him_

_Till chapter three!_

Joey keeps walking…

_Woman:_

_Now it's no wonder that her name means "beauty"_

_Her looks have got no parallel_

_Shopkeeper:_

_But behind that fair facade_

_I'm afraid she's rather odd_

_Very different from the rest of us_

_Townsfolk:_

_She's nothing like the rest of us_

_Yes, different from the rest of us is Belle_

Duke is hunting and Tristan is trying to catch everything he shoots. He misses.

_Lefou: Wow you didn't miss a shot gaston!_

_You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!_

_Gaston:I know_

_Lefou: No beast alive stands a chance against you, haha...and_

_No girl for that matter_

_Gaston: It's true lefou, and I've got my sight set on that one_

_Lefou: The inventor's daughter!?_

_Gaston: She's the one, the lucky girl I'm going to marry_

_Lefou: But she's--_

_Gaston: The most beautiful girl in town_

_Lefou: I know but--_

_Gaston: That makes her the best! and don't I deserve the best?_

_Lefou: Well of couse, I mean ya do, but I (mumbling)_

_Gaston (singing) : Right from the moment when I met her, saw her_

_I said she's gorgeous and I fell_

_Here in town it's only she_

_Who's as beautiful as me_

_So I'm making plans to woo and marry Belle_

_Silly Girls:_ (Duke's Cheerleaders)

_Look there he goes! isn't he dreamy?_

_Monsieur Gaston! oh,he's so cute!_

_Bestill my heart! I'm hardly breathing!_

_He's such a tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute!_

Duke is trying to catch up to Joey, but there is too many people crowding the path.

_Man1: Bonjour_

_Gaston: Pardon!_

_Man2: Good day_

_Man3: Mais oui!_

_Matron: You call this bacon?_

_Woman1: What lovely grapes!_

_Man4: Some cheese..._

_Woman2: ...Ten yards!_

_Man4: ...One pound.._

_Gaston: Scuse me!_

_Cheese merchant: I'll get the knife_

_Gaston: Please let me through!!_

_Woman1: This bread..._

_Man5: Those fish..._

_Woman1: ...It's stale_

_Man5: ...They smell!_

_Baker: Madame's mistaken!_

_Belle: There must be more than this provincial life!_

_Gaston: Just watch...I'm going to make Belle my wife!_

_Townsfolk:_

_Look there she goes...a girl who's strange but special_

_A most peculiar mademoiselle_

_It's a pity and a sin_

_She doesn't quite fit in_

_Cause she really is a funny girl_

_A beauty but a funny girl_

_She really is a funny girl...that Belle!!_

Joey turns around to see the townspeople returning to their business and continues reading. Duke jumps in front of him.

"Hello, Belle"

Joey sees that instead of the normal character, Gaston, it's Duke. 'What's Dice Boy doin' in my dream, let alone in this story? He's probably here because he fits the part. I'll just go along with it.'

"Bonjour Gaston," He hears himself say. Duke grabs his book and starts looking at it. "Gaston, may I have my book please?" 'Since when do I say "please"? This is one weird dream.' Joey thought.

"How can you read this? There's no pictures!" Duke says

"Some people use their imagination." Joey says

"Belle, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things, like me." Duke said as his fan girls sighed over him.

"The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking…" Duke said

"Gaston, you are positively primeval." Joey heard himself say

"Why, thank you Belle," Duke said with a chuckle, "what do you say you and me take a walk over to the tavern and take a look at my trophies."

"Maybe… some other time."

"What's wrong with her?" The first fan girl asked

"She's crazy!" The second one said

"He's gorgeous…" The third one said

"Please, Gaston, I can't. I have to get home to help my father. Goodbye." Joey heard himself say

"HAHAHA!!! That crazy old loon! He needs all the help he can get!" Tristan said as he laughed along with Duke.

"Don't talk about my father that way!" Joey said

"Yeah, don't talk about her father that way!" Duke said as he bopped Tristan on the head

"My father is not crazy, he's a genius." Joey said just as an explosion was heard coming from the cottage.

The last thing Joey remembers is running towards the cottage as Duke and Tristan continue laughing.

Well Joey, what do you think?

Joey:looking pleased: Hey, that was actually pretty good. But, why'd put dice boy and Tristan in there?

I don't know, Duke just seemed to fit the part and I wanted to add the gang in there, so yeah. Anyway, you know what to do people!


	4. The Next Day:Seto and Joey's Dilema

**Disclaimer: Remember.....I OWN NOTHING!**

* * *

**Recap: **

_The last thing Joey remembers is running towards __the cottage as Duke and Tristan continue laughing…_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Seto and Joey's Dilema **

"Ahhhh!" Joey screams as he falls off the bed and hits his head on the dresser, his alarm clock blaring as he feels over the dresser to silence the damn thing. As he's waiting for the pain to subside, he glances at the clock, which was set wrong… again.

"Ahhh! I'm gonna be late! Again!" he screams as he attempts to put on all his clothes at the same time and then rushes out the door to grab a piece of toast and put on his shoes while grabbing his backpack. Then he runs all the way to school, silently cursing himself.

_**About 2 hours before at the Kaiba Mansion… **_

"No way. No way in hell…" Seto says as he continues to stare at himself in the mirror. Apparently, fangs weren't the only things he acquired last night as he stared into the glass with slitted pupils and even icier looking eyes (if that's possible). At first he thought it was a trick of the light, but that logic went straight out the window when he could see that:

1. His eyes were slightly glowing if you looked hard enough, and

2. He could see very well when he walked into the pitch-black bathroom. Everything was as clear as if he had turned on the light, which he still hadn't done yet until he realized the light was still off.

Now, the fangs he would be able to hide, since he never really talked anyway, but how was he going to hide his eyes without anyone noticing?

As the countless scenarios kept popping up in his head, he began to get more worried and that suddenly made him pissed off that he even had to worry about what everyone would think. He never did before, so why should he now?

'*sigh* I shouldn't worry about what might happen at school. Besides, it won't be that bad. If I look at myself from far away, it doesn't look like there's anything wrong with me at all. All I have to do is keep a good distance away from everyone and make sure they don't make direct eye contact with me. It'll be like nothing ever happened. There, problem solved.'

And so, he got himself ready for school, not noticing how often he kept scratching at the back of his neck and arms.

_**School, present time.**_

Everyone was startled out of their thoughts as Joey opened the door so forcefully and stumbled in gasping and panting for breath. But that didn't stop the teacher from another lecture.

"Well, Mr. Wheeler, so nice of you to join us. This is the fourth tardy this week, so you now have detention for an hour after school today. Now, since you've missed a crucial fifteen minutes of class, I will have to choose your partner for you."

"Partner?"

"Yes, Mr. Wheeler, as you can see, almost everyone has been partnered up for an upcoming project, except for you. Now you are the lucky person to be paired off with Mr. Kaiba."

"But-"

"No 'buts,' Mr. Wheeler. If you had gotten here on time, you might have been able to choose your own partner, but since you weren't, you must work with Mr. Kaiba. So, from now until the project is done, you will be sitting and working together with your partner. Now sit down, and I don't want to hear any complaints. Is that understood, Mr. Wheeler? Mr. Kaiba?"

Joey sighed as he nodded his head and sauntered his way to the back of the class and sat next to his rival/crush, who was completely silent with his nose in a book, not bothering to even look at him.

'Huh, what's with him today? He hasn't insulted me or started arguing when the teacher put me as his partner. Oh, I get it; he's planning on ignoring me the entire time only to talk when it has something to do with the project, which I still know nothing of.'

What he didn't know was that Kaiba had already known that Joey would be his partner. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Joey was the only one missing and everyone else had already been paired off except for him. He was already ranting about it in his head.

'I don't believe it! Of all the people to be paired up with, it had to be him, and now of all times! If it wasn't for this… problem… I would be enjoying this, trying to figure out how to win him over.'

He risked a quick glance at Joey to see, thankfully, that he was paying attention to the lesson.

'But then again, maybe this can work in my favor. We **will** be working on the project together after all, so that gives us a reason to be around each other for a while. I know I won't be able to hide this for very long without him getting suspicious. Somehow, I don't think he's that dense. Sooner or later he'll be noticing what's going on with me and might want to help, if he doesn't freak out first. He likes dragons and he's hung around Yugi long enough to believe in magic, or anything weird for that matter. That and the fact that he's not fighting me right now gives me some hope that he doesn't seem to hate me as much as I assumed. Or maybe, he's just wondering why I haven't insulted him yet. I don't blame him since it's my fault for riling him up. Maybe I should try being nice, just a bit, so he doesn't freak out at the sudden change. Maybe I can actually get somewhere with him.'

"So, um, what's this project we're supposed to be working on?" Joey asked hesitantly as to not set Seto off, trying to stay calm and be nice.

He answered, amazingly to Joey, calmly, coolly, yet still somewhat annoyed, "We're supposed to find a fairy tale that we both can relate to and rewrite it to fit our lives."

"Oh," he replied, thinking very carefully of his choice of words to keep the peace, "Well, did you think of anything, 'cause I seem to have one already in mind."

"Oh? And what's that?" Seto asked, curiosity obvious in his voice, and sort of mumbled, since he was still covering his face with the book.

"Well, this might sound stupid, so don't laugh, but, I think that I can relate to Beauty and the Beast."

At that, Seto froze. 'I don't believe it…is he serious?'

"Really?" he replied, all coldness gone from his voice for the moment.

"Uh, yeah, do you have one you can relate to?"

"Actually, that was going to be my response."

"Wow, go figure."

"Well, now we have a topic, so let's continue this at my place."

"Um, ok. What time?"

"Let's go after school."

"OK… oh, wait! I've got detention today, remember?"

"Oh, well, we'll go after then, alright?"

"OK. Wow this seems kind of sudden. It's kinda weird for me."

"Yeah, me too, but I want to get this done perfectly in time to turn it in."

"Oh."

'Why is he being so calm? Normally he's cold-sounding and tossing insults at me, not inviting me to his house! Well, he's still kinda cold-sounding, but a lot less malicious. I just hope he can stay like this from now on, and not just for this project.'

"Ok, I know I'm gonna hate myself for asking, but how come you're being nice to me?"

"Simple. I know that if we start arguing, we'll never get anything done, so, I won't fight with you, if you don't fight with me, deal?"

Joey just stared shocked at the words that came out of the other's mouth. 'Did he just really say that? I don't believe it, but he does have a point, so I'll go along with it.'

"OK, I won't fight, but is that book so interesting that you can't face me while you talk?"

Seto froze again at a loss for words.

'Should I tell him? I have to face him sooner or later, and he'll notice the moment I look at him or speak to him. Maybe I should…'

"Well, no, but there is a reason as to why I'm doing this."

"And that reason would be?" Joey said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll explain after school, alright?" he said sounding almost annoyed, and just a tiny bit nervous.

"Um, alright." Joey said, slightly wincing at the annoyed tone.

And the day continued as if nothing had happened, except Joey kept noticing how Seto would keep scratching at his arms and at the back of his neck.

_**After school… **_

As Joey rode in Kaiba's limo, he kept noticing how Seto wouldn't look at him at all when spoken to, and he also seemed to mumble when responding, which was so not like Kaiba.

_**At the mansion…**_

"Now would you explain why you're acting so strange? I can understand the nice act, but how come you mumble when you talk and how come you can't look me in the eye?"

Seto was dreading this. 'Ok, I'll just show him. He should believe me.'

"OK, first, I'm going to tell you about a dream I had last night, and then I'll explain what that has to do with why I'm acting this way."

And so, Joey listened as Seto described the dream to him, and when he was finished, showed him his eyes and fangs. He was surprised, but he believed it.

After a while, Joey asked, "So, you think your dream is tied to whatever did this to you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well….I…um..." Joey said, looking quite embarrassed.

"Spit it out, Wheeler." Seto said, slightly losing his patience.

"Well, I had a dream last night where I was playing Belle and going through the beginning scene, and I felt somewhat calmer and happier almost all day today, like Belle normally is. But that might have been because I was listening to the soundtrack when I fell asleep. But after looking at what's going on with you, I'm not so sure anymore."

"You think what's happening to me is connected with you?"

"Seems like it." Joey said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you think anyone else was affected by this?" Seto said, looking like he already knew the answer.

"When are they not?" Joey said sarcastically, with a pointed look.

"True, but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with them."

"It'll happen eventually, trust me." Joey said, having enough experience to know how these adventures start out before it gets worse.

"What do you think is gonna happen to them?" Seto asked, not liking where this was going.

"Well, since my dream had me playing Belle, and you're more than likely playing the Beast… sort of, (saying that when he received a glare from Seto) then the others are probably going to be your servants that are under the spell. They'll probably be changing like you are."

"Well, won't this be fun?" Seto said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"Tell me about it." Joey agreed with a shake of his head, wondering silently how the others are gonna take this new twist on things.

"Should we let them know what's going on?" Joey asked after a few seconds.

Seto thought about this for a while before he answered, "No, not yet. Until they start acting strange, or they find out about me, we won't say anything and act like everything's ok. In the meantime, since nothing strange is going on right now, I say we start on the project, all right?"

"Alright, I'll keep my mouth shut. Before we start though, you think we can get something to eat?"

"Do you ever not think with your stomach, Wheeler?" Seto said with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope!" Joey said with a big grin on his face.

* * *

…Ok….I think this is ok. I'm really sorry for not updating, but school takes up a lot of my time. Hopefully I'll be able to update a couple more chapters in these next two weeks, so bear with me, ok?


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